Evidence of meeting #52 for National Defence in the 41st Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was aircraft.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
How have these numbers gone down? Have we seen individuals, this money...?
I think when you announced this program, you said you'd have money available to focus on the program and to ensure support for the cadets at the local level. Can you advise what funding has been made available as a result of this program?
RAdm J.J. Bennett
Yes, we're only partway through a five-year renewal program, which goes out until 2018, but we have been able to reduce some of the administrative overhead to the program. The number of people working full time is being reduced slowly.
We have provided additional support at the local level, the corps and squadrons, in terms of resources available to them for activities, as well as increasing the number of adults who are working directly at the community level.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Can you give us the numbers, how much money has been made available to that program?
RAdm J.J. Bennett
I can't at this point because my appearance was for reserves, but we can provide that.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Perhaps you can provide that to us.
We were told it was cadets and reserves, so if you don't mind I have a couple of other questions on cadets.
One issue that came up a long time ago, but has been very concerning to people involved, is the advanced training that cadets might receive, such as pilot training. Can you give me an answer to that? Have the hours of pilot training been reduced?
RAdm J.J. Bennett
No, there have been no significant changes to the cadet flying program, either gliding or power flight. There was some discussion of our reducing glider flight in favour of allowing more cadets to have a greater experience and a greater number of hours of flying, because the glider program is quite expensive in terms of maintenance and supervision. But we have not made significant changes. The same number of cadets continue to enjoy the experience in both glider and power flight.
NDP
RAdm J.J. Bennett
We were directed to not eliminate the glider program and to maintain it.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Good, so that's continued. I'm glad to hear that.
The plans and priorities report for 2014-15 talked about reducing the number of supplementary reserves to 9,000 members. Can you tell us more about that and why you would do that? And 6,000 people appear to be eliminated from that supplementary reserve program.
RAdm J.J. Bennett
The supplementary reserve are not active members of the Canadian Armed Forces. They are not required to train on a regular basis. It's simply a holding list.
RAdm J.J. Bennett
Yes, they're available as required or as they volunteer.
Years ago we used to hold people on the supplementary reserve for an indefinite period. There were over 50,000 supplementary reservists.
We found that in some cases, after five years—and in other occupations, after ten years—there was significant fading of skills, so bringing those people back in required a significant amount of training or refresher courses to bring their skills up. The list has been reduced gradually, in terms of both numbers and how long people are held, so we don't spend the same amount on both administering that group of people who are in fact on a holding list and also training them.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
I think that pretty well explains it.
I have one final question regarding—
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
—the access to medical assistance by reservists. We heard a lot of complaints at this committee about the follow-up with reservists after they deployed. Have you set up a mechanism at the administrative level of the reserve program to ensure that every person on deployment does get a specific follow-up and that you now track these people and where they are to make sure they have access to care if they need it?
RAdm J.J. Bennett
Through my shop I have not. I know that the service commanders are very active in that, in particular the commander of the Canadian Army, to ensure that we follow up. That is a chain of command responsibility, but we are cognizant of, especially concerned about, individual augmentees who are not geographically located near a base. So, yes, we're being very proactive in ensuring that everyone has follow-on interviews and access and awareness. Not just those who are serving, but those who may have left the reserve force as well. That is a chain of command responsibility.
Conservative
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Thank you, Chair. General, Admiral, thank you for coming today.
Reserve units can play a role in CAF domestic operations. Could you expand on how they contribute to these operations, and maybe give us a few examples? If they are required, how quickly they can be deployed for search and rescue or in response to a natural disaster within our country?
RAdm J.J. Bennett
Let me speak to your last point first.
We have always had more reservists respond than were required at very short notice, especially if it is within that geographical area. But certainly in the case of floods, whether in the Saguenay region, Saint-Jean, or Winnipeg, we have had a national response to them.
One of our challenges is ensuring that we don't search too early in the process, so that we don't take people away from their civilian jobs. But certainly our voluntary response has never been an issue, and we continue to have great success in preparing and answering the call.
In terms of the reserve units responding, there's a bit of a misnomer regarding that term; there are formed units of reservists as opposed to a specific unit. So it may not be the Loyal Edmonton Regiment , or HMCS Chippawa. But there are units of reservists that sometimes are drawn from a larger geographical area. So in the case of port security, port inspection, diving responses, they may come from a number of units.
We coordinate exercises throughout the year to ensure that those groups are trained as a formed body, and in fact we train more individuals to ensure that on short notice we get a sufficiently trained cadre.
In terms of the army reserve, I'll have General Bury speak to the success with things like the Arctic Response Company Group, Territorial Battalion Group, and those type of responses
Brigadier-General P.J. Bury Director General, Reserves and Cadets, Department of National Defence
Thank you, sir.
The Canadian Army does have territorial battalion groups. There is one for each of the brigade groups. These are not standing units but they bring together the leadership and train for domestic response scenarios on a regular basis. Many of the divisions will train with other government departments, the RCMP, and provincial emergency management coordinators in a whole-of-government approach to domestic operations.
The domestic response companies are part of the territorial battalion groups. These are companies of soldiers, sailors, and aviators who will come together, many times on quite short notice, to respond to fires, floods, what have you.
Nested within the battalion group structure is the Arctic Reserve Company Group. There are a number of these throughout the country and they train specifically for deploying and operating in very austere northern and Arctic environments.
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
That's very good. Thank you.
Announcements have recently been made regarding increased benefits for reservists within the CAF. Could either of you comment on how these benefits will impact our reserve units?
RAdm J.J. Bennett
The announcements were for benefits for reservists who are veterans, not across the entire reserve force, so that's just one point of correction. It won't have as big an impact at the reserve unit level, although it's great for morale, and great for those who may have been injured and their families as well. Certainly, it has been well received across the reserve force, with very positive feedback from those who are serving and veterans.
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
That's very good.
General, do you have any comments?
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
I just don't want to leave you out.
Could I have you comment on the recruitment process for reservists? And how does it differ from the recruitment process for regular forces?
